The extremely reliable mechanism is notable for a life time of over 500,000 actuations, which have been evaluated successfully in the lab. The outer dimensions have been kept very compact, at 30mm x 50mm.
The socket design was implemented as a modular system. Currently, IC components with dimensions from 4mm x 4mm to 15mm x 15mm can be accommodated. The socket design is expandable for components of up to 20mm x 20mm. For the different IC components outlines, like BGA, QFP and SOP, only minor design modifications are necessary.
Fine-pitch spring contacts are used for contacting. The plunger tip can be varied, with a crown for BGA and a tip for SOP/QFP. IC components with a pitch of 0.35mm and larger can be contacted. The life time of the spring contact is specified with several hundred thousand cycles.
The OpenTop Test Contactor can be equipped with a pushing frame upon request. This simplifies opening the socket for manual actuation.